GRANJENO, Texas – Fresh off his electoral victory in May, Mayor Vicente Garza Jr. has embarked on a quixotic project, betting against long odds that a casino could secure the future of this indebted town of 485 residents.

Founded in 1767 but not incorporated until 1993, Granjeno clings to a sharp curve in the road a mile from the Rio Grande. It has a single city employee, a beer joint is its only business, and most residents are kin. Its annual budget is about $77,000.

The border fence that put Granjeno in the spotlight last year – when plans had it running through yards and homes – is taking shape instead just behind property lines on the south side of town. A new international bridge to Reynosa, Mexico, is under way to the west.

“We’re surrounded; we have no economic development,” said Mr. Garza, 24, a county corrections officer.

But, he’s enthusiastic about the casino idea.

“It’s something out of the box,” he said.

The idea comes from a brainstorming session on how the city might capitalize on the traffic generated by the international bridge.

The only hitch is that the sort of gambling he envisions, with slots and poker tournaments, is illegal in Texas.

Mr. Garza signed a letter last month requesting an opinion from Attorney General Greg Abbott, who has taken a narrow view of Texas’ gambling laws, and hopes state Rep. Kino Flores, D-Palmview, whose district includes Granjeno, will pass it on.

“If it’s something that they need, I’m going to help all I can,” Mr. Flores said. But knowing the state’s gambling laws and Mr. Abbott’s earlier opinions, Mr. Flores said the odds would be against them.

Mr. Garza said that while there are skeptics in Granjeno, he had not heard any outright opposition to his plan.

Christopher Sherman,

The Associated Press